New Yorkers Protests Firehouse Closing

RICHARD PYLE

Published 8:00 pm, Saturday, May 24, 2003

Associated Press Writer

Neighbors locked elbows with politicians Sunday in an attempt to keep the city from closing one of its oldest firehouses.

The demonstrators did not stop the shuttering of Engine Company 204 when the clock struck 9 a.m. The two-story, red brick firehouse was one of six shut down Sunday to help shrink the city's $3.8 billion deficit.

City officials have justified the closings, expected to save $7 million a year, by saying population shifts have made the firehouses unnecessary, and emergency response times, measured in seconds, will not be slowed.

"Unfortunately, we cannot afford everything," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday at a Memorial Day parade in Queens. "It's the best compromise we can make."

But protesters gathered at all the closed firehouses said the budget cuts were coming at the expense of people's safety.

In Brooklyn, at Engine Company 204, police appeared caught by surprise when the firehouse's red, wooden door opened, and the demonstrators rushed inside.

Twelve people were later arrested at 204 and eight at Engine 212, also in Brooklyn, said firefighter Robert Calise, a fire department spokesman. He said they were charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.

Opened in 1855, Engine 204's firehouse bears the letters "B.F.D. engine 4," from the late 18th century when Brooklyn was a separate city and horses that pulled the steam pumper were stabled across the street.

"Closing of any firehouse is against any concept of safety," said Arthur Sunshine, 66, a retired schoolteacher who lives down the block. "These are the lifesavers of the community."

On Sept. 11, 2001, Engine 204 was among several fire units in south Brooklyn that reached the World Trade Center in the first few minutes. Its truck was destroyed when the towers collapsed, but its crew survived.

Engine 204's last run in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of century-old brownstone houses, family-run businesses and small factories came on Saturday _ a call about a sick person.

Many former members visited the firehouse in its final days to reminisce with colleagues transferring to other firehouses across the city.

"I feel sad for the neighborhood," said firefighter Chris McCarthy, 28, who spent the past year at 204. "Someone's going to have to die before they realize they've made a mistake."